Soft fruit grower Frederik Bunt from Slijk-Ewijk recently told growers and interested parties about his experiences as a fruit grower in Poland. During the meeting "Greenport Gelderland Gaat International' (Greenport Gelderland Goes International) he pointed out the need to inform yourself before starting a company abroad. "It's all about the differences between here and the solutions you have to find for that." Greenport and Fruitpact are considering organising an educational trip.
Combine knowledge
The meeting at the Fruitpark in Ochten was set up in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce. Frederik Bunt has been growing plums in Poland for 11 years and pointed out important differences to the Netherlands. "There are also similarities. Just like here you have to have people in Poland who help you, advise you, know the way and know the lingo. But the local governments there work very differently. You have to check and agree on everything yourself. Of course they have rules for things like water management, but you have to keep your own ditches clean and make sure this also happens further away from your company to ensure proper drainage. We cleaned the ditches ourselves, handed the invoice to the council and so didn't have to pay land charges. If you want to dig holes for irrigation, you have to ask properly first. It's constantly a matter of combining your knowledge of there with the knowledge you build up here. Then you have to make a decision: is the solution acceptable or do I have to come up with something else?"
"You're welcome there as a foreign fruit grower. But you have to work with the local suppliers, the climate is different, so your production is at a different level. And what surprised us was that we though we would bring to product back here, but sell all of it to the supermarket chain Tesco in Poland. You have to be well prepared before starting anything, a Greenport Gelderland educational trip is a good idea. Talk a lot to Dutch businesses in Poland. The Dutch in different sectors will teach you how they solved things. And even if you aren't starting a company there: it's always an addition to your knowledge and insight as an entrepreneur."
Source: FruitPact
Source: FruitPact